At 1pm outside Bath Abbey on Saturday 21st July ultra-marathon runner Darryl Carter will begin his attempt to break the record for running the Cotswold Way. Darryl has competed as an elite endurance athlete in both long-distance triathlons and ultra marathons but running non-stop along the National Trail will be one of his toughest challenges to date.
Backed up by a support crew and monitored by official time keepers, Darryl will aim to break the official record of 22 hours and 23 minutes set by Frank Thomas in May 1994. He is treating it very much a personal challenge and will not be raising money for charity – breaking the record will be his main motivation.
Darryl says, “This will be the first time I have visited the Cotswold Way and I am very much looking forward to it, and what better way to test yourself than on one of Britain’s most popular trails. I love the outdoors and hiking and will be feeding off the scenery as I go by. I prefer to start fast so the rough plan is to get to Painswick (circa 55 miles) in good time. There will then be a change of crew (pacers and driver) and then I will stretch out the final 47 miles with some walking breaks. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself for the time, but suffice to say I do want to get a record. I may not get the opportunity again so will give it a good go - I'm really looking forward to the experience.”
Darryl will be supported by James Ogilvie, Dan Martin, Scott Garrett, Jason Harrison, Austin Blackburn, Iain McNaughton and Peter Cusick.
